It happens to us too

Charity video addresses domestic abuse in same-sex relationships

UK charity, Broken Rainbow
has released a video to highlight the problems surrounding domestic
violence in same-sex relationships.

Scroll down to watch video

The video, produced by the Home Office, features a Broken
Rainbow advisor talking about the key signs of domestic abuse and
how the charity can help anyone who is suffering, as well
challenging the public perception about what violence against women
actually is.

The video, which was posted online three days ago, forms part of
a campaign to highlight the International Day for the Elimination
of Violence Against Women on 25 November.

The video and the charity address very real issues. One in four
LGBT people may experience domestic violence and in a survey,
nearly 20% of people in same-sex relationships said they had been
threatened with physical violence at some point.

We hear a lot about domestic violence in opposite-sex
relationships, but the reality is that abuse is just as prevalent
in lesbian relationships.

Abuse within an intimate relationship is not just a physical
thing either. Forty-two per cent of those who took part in the
survey said that they had been humiliated, degraded, insulted or
verbally harassed by their partner. Equally as shocking, 12% had
been pressured into sexual activity.

Broken Rainbow runs the only National LGBT Domestic Violence
Helpline, which is 100% free and confidential, and staffed by
highly trained workers and volunteers. Call 0300 999 5428, Monday
and Thursday 10am-8pm, and Tuesday and Wednesday 10am-5pm.